Consett must have done something to upset the Gods of Football this week. Showing incredible spirit and determination to bounce back from a humiliating defeat just two days earlier, the Steelmen were, quite simply, robbed of three points today. At a time when they need luck as much as anything else they got precious little of it in this game.

Ben Thompson (right) chips home Consett's second

Colin Carr once again had selection problems through mass unavailability and consequently it was a youthful team that turned out today. With Colin McLeod injured Chris Hodgson moved up front, while Michael Fraser came in for his debut and Ben Thomson made his first start.

Consett showed early that they had no hangover from their six goal defeat at Morpeth by making the early running. Soon after Ben Thompson had hit a well struck shot straight at Swan, the visitors took a seventh minute lead. West's Turner mis-hit a back pass which Chris Hodgson latched onto before rounding the keeper to score.

Chris Hodgson shows determination

West almost struck back immediately when Lang met a right wing with a glancing header that went just wide, but Consett were soon in the ascendancy again. The lively Ben Thompson dragged a shot from the edge of the area wide on the quarter hour mark, but only had to wait a further six minutes before getting on the scoresheet. A flowing Consett move started with Hodgson playing the ball down the left channel for Andy Green who squared it to Thompson, and the 18 year old calmly lifted the ball over the advancing Swan to net his first Consett goal.

With half an hour gone West got their first effort on target when McGuire volleyed a Raitt cross towards goal but Platten saved comfortably. Five minutes later, Green almost extended Consett's lead still further, but he was unable to make good enough contact with Mark Lee's cross when in front of goal. As Consett continued to dominate proceedings Jeff Sugden headed home a Lee free kick, only to be ruled offside

Half Time: West 0-2 Consett

The second half got off to a pretty slow start with neither side really troubling the keepers unduly, however as the game entered its final quarter it exploded back into life again, with Consett ending up somewhat hard done by.

Ben Thompson made a diagonal run into the area and as he attempted to hold the ball up he was unceremoniously kicked up in the air by a home defender. The referee waved play on, however the linesman who was a mere ten yards from the incident flagged for a foul. After consulting his assistant, the referee presumably overruled him as the game restarted with a throw in. Consett's players, bench and supporters alike were incensed.

Almost inevitably, West pulled a goal back just a few minutes later. Stout slid a perfectly weighted ball into the path of Milroy who placed a low shot past Platten.

Lee Suddes in an aerial challenge

As end to end play ensued in the wake of the goal, both goalkeepers were called into spectacular action to keep the score at 2-1. First West's former Sunderland player Steve Agnew hit a 30 yard screamer that forced a magnificent save out of James Platten, a definite contender for Save of the Season. Then, soon after Jeff Sugden had headed a Lee free kick narrowly over, Andrew Thompson forced a similar fingertip save from Swan with his raking left foot drive.

Hodgson almost cashes in on a defensive mix-up

Consett seemed to be running out of steam as the game entered the last five minutes, but they seemed to be hanging on for the three points without too much trouble. Then just as the 90 minutes were up came the hammer blow that may well condemn the Steelmen to Second Division football next season. A long hopeful free kick was punted into the Consett area, Milroy nodded it down and Agnew was on hand to lash the ball home from 12 yards. It was a cruel blow, and one from which Consett had no time to recover as the referee, who had had a right Weston-Super, added on no more than 30 seconds of injury time before blowing for full time.

So, the equation is now quite simple, Consett have to win at Shildon next Saturday to have any chance of survival. However if Prudhoe beat Shildon themselves at Kimberley Park on Tuesday then Consett will be relegated anyway. Obviously such things are decided over a whole season, however the events of the 25 minutes of this game will have gone a long way towards deciding the Steelmen's predicament.